Why does a Dutchman's pipe trap insects?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

August 2, 2001

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The bizarre flowers give the pipevines (Aristolochia spp.) [a ris' to low' kee a] their common name for some species resemble the ornate smoking pipes popular in the Netherlands in the 1700s. The tubular flowers tend to be dark colored—brown, maroon, or mottled with white. The floral tube is tightly curved then flares outward dramatically.

Plant of the Week 02/28/2005

Calico Flower (Aristolochia littoralis) Plant of the Week 02/28/2005

The curved tube acts like a funnel. An insect that lands on the flower searching for nectar is lured into the tube. Once in the tube, the insect must continue crawling inward. There is no room for the insect to turn around and leave the flower until it has brushed against the pistil and stamens. This benign trapping of an insect helps to ensure pollination and the next generation of seeds.

Pipevines are classified as incomplete flowers for they lack petals. The sepals, which are green in most other flowering plants, are fused to form the oddly colored floral tube.

There are about 200 species of pipevines found around the world. The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Conservatory at the University of Connecticut has a beautiful photograph of Aristolochia gigantea:

http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198500206.html

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Likes good natural light indoors, preferable an eastern exposure.

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Avoid lime soils.

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